Apparatus for controlling the temperature of rolling-mills



l. B. McKIBBTN. APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF ROLLING MILLS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1919.

1,370,332. Patents/61 Mar, 1, 192},

2 SHEETS-SHEET I O O O O 23 6212855 6 [fir/e7; 2'07- J. B. McKIBBlN.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF ROLLING MILLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY16,1919.

1,370,332., Patented Mar.1, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Winewsesk 1 (78725071.

UNITED s'ra'rss earner c.

JOE-ZN B. MGKIBBIN, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR OF OI TE-F3URTH 'lO MARGARET IRENE SUGDEN AND ONE-FOURTH TO ISABELLA EDMONDS SUGDEN, BOTH OF. PITTSBURGH, FENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR CQNTROLLING THE TEMPERATUBE OF RQLLING-MILLS.

1,3?{L332 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN B. lvleliimny, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grafton, in' the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the lemperature oi Rolling-hills, at which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improvement in continuous rolling mills. it has for its Object to provide means for heatin and maintaining the rolls ol a mill, prel'erably a two-high mill, at a desired normal temperature approximating the heat of the rolls in action, for the purpose of ovm'con'iing undesired variations in the contour or diameter of the rolls due to their change from dimensions at normal temperatures to such inereased temperatures.

Ordinarily, in the usual methods now in use for hot rolling sheet or other metal. the heated sheet bars are passed repeatedly through the same stand of two-high rolls, being passed back over the top roll after each reducing pass "for a further operation ntil finally reduced, in connection with the l adiiistznent of the rolls for the pass, such methods, the reducing rolls are brought up from their normal inactive temperature, by contact with the hot metal, the rolls gradually becoming hotter until both the sheet or bar and the rolls are approximately equal in ten'iperature, when the roll-- ing operation must ordinarily be temporarily discontinued sutiiciently long to permit cooling by radiation.

These incidents attendant upon the manufacture of various rolled material, and particularly sheet .metal, usually involve many undesirable conditions and drawbacks, resulting in variations in the diameter and contour of the rolls with resulting variations in reduction and cross Section of the blank, increased cost. waste power, broken rolls, and other related parts directly resulting from unequally or over-heated rolls.

It is a generally accepted fact among those skilled in the art of hot rolling sheet metal that the most important and necessary elements for best results are roll temperature and contour, and that these are fundamental essentials to the successful rolling of sheets in a continuous mill.

Patented Mar. 1921.

Serial no. 257,556.

The present invention has in view to provide means for so controlling the temperature of the rolls and their contour and dianieter as to first bring the rolls by application of heat to a h-mperalure approximating that of the rolls as usually imparted to them by the metal being rolled, so as to keep the dian'ieter and contour at an unvarving eondilion during the rolling opm'ations. The invention also has in view to apply and maintain the heat to the body of the rolls only. exclusive ol their necks, and to reduce the tendency to breakage caused by too rapid eonlraelion through being exposed to cooler temperatures, to a minimum.

The invention provides means for utiliz ing any suitable heat, as preheated or waste hot air or products ol' combustion from a furnace or other suitable source, so con trolled and regulated as to deliver a constant \'olunie thereof to and around the roll bodies within surrounding inelosing casings, so constructed as to permit of the entrance and.

exit ol the blank. Also to so arrange the distribution of such heating element that it will be applied principally to the middle of each roll body,'i. (4., that part oi the rolls where the greatest amount o'l heat. ordinarily accumulates by radiation from the blank or sheet being rolled.

lne preferred emlmdiment ol the invenvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which;

Figure l is a view in sectional elevation showing a stand of rolls provided with my improvement Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view indicated by the line II, ll of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line III, Ill of Fig. 2; and A Fig. e is a sectional detail view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction.

ieferring thereto, the rolls 2-2 are mounted by their journals or necks 3 in housings l, having the usual bearing brasses, adjusting screws, etc, commonly employed in such structures, and capable of being set to the desired distance apart for intended operation. a

For the purpose of protecting the rolls from the action of the atmospheric air as much as possible and for confining around thi'em the heating air, I provide surrounding shields 0r hoods 5-45 for the upper an lowerrolls respectively, spaced aw thm'e'l'roni suliicient distance to prov for an ample intervening body of heating air and or the adjustment of the rolls in operation. Between the upper and lower hoods pass of the metal, clearance openings 8 at the entrance and exit positions are provided, being made as narrow and restricted as practicable to prevent undue escape of the contained air.

Heated air is conducted to the interior of the hoods from any suitable source as a pro-- heating furnace T oi. any suitable construction, as indicated in Fig. i. In theform shown. I have provided for the prcheaiting of the pack of sheet metal and "for a f luiullt of return passes thercthrough before the same is delivered to the stand of rolls over the convever table 5?, although itwill be understood that the invention isin no way limited to such particular form of the heating furnace, and may be combined with any suitable or convenient source of .waste or generated heat.

In the construction shown, the gases of combustion for circulation through the hcating' interior'of the furnace 7 pass downwardly by port 9 and conduit 10 to the outlet stack. Hot air or vapor conduit 11 comnuini'cates with the heated gases in any suitable mann r, indicated, and is connected by conduit- 12 with the interior of the hoods 5 by branch pipes or onduits i i-1 as indicated in Fig. 2. The main conduit 12 is provided with various a ce sories for controlling and iotrmlm-ine the flow, as a valve 14- and a rotary or other type of fan or blower 15. I also provide a mixing device for the admission of cold air. as by means of the adjustalde inlet control 1G and, for the purpose of ii'nlieating' the temperature of the air at all times, a pvrometcr gage l? is connected With the conduit 12, as indicated.

l lacl'i branch connection 13 provided with an indc1')c-ndent (.OTlt'l'Ollll'lQ" VHlR'O l8 whereby the amount of? heated air distributed to each roll may be accurately rcgrulated. )rdinarily. the lower roll is somexvhat ram-e pzotected than the upper roll of a stand and the resulting;- variation in radiation apt to aliect the ten'iperature of the rolls unequally so that such individual control of the heated air is desiable in order to affect each roll the same.

The delivery terminal of each branch 13 extends inwardly through the end wall of the hood 5 adjacent the end of the roll and substantially throughout the length of the roll body at the top and bottom, asindicated in Fig. 2. The lower and upper portions respectively of conduits 1? are prodded with series of perforations 19, as indicated in. Fig, 3, preferably arranged in and coincident with the normal newer-la the manner and oi varying sizes, as shown, so as to supply the main volume of heating air to the Ini h1lle portion ot" each roll.

in Fig. l have shown a modified arrznigeinent oi? the hot air supply niei'rhanisin in which the branch conduit 13 extends inwardly from the main conduit at top and bottom, and is connected at the middle top and bottom portion of the hood 5, delivering directly into the middle interior thereof. When desired, the individual branch conduits may be provided, as indi' cated in Fig. 4a, with individual lillXGiS 16 for admission of cold air, a pyroinctcr 17 for indicating the temperature, and a controlling valve l4 tor accurate adjustmentof the supply. lly such means, it will be r adily seen thatthe conditions are brought under the accurate control of the O ')61'lil ()l' at all times. so as to vary the degree and volume ot the heated air coincidental with any variationsin local conditions as to atmospneric temperature, temperature of the material being rolled, or other incidents.

The construction and operation of the apparatus will be readily understood from the trn'ee'oine description. it desirable that the rolls shall be first brought. up to a ten'iperatm'e approximating that which is m'dinarilv imparted to them by the sheets or other material being rolled, so that thereafter, the introduction to the rolls and the radiation by the rolls will not substantially affect the rolls themselves to undesirable 'ariations resultii'ig in expansion or eontraction, and accompanying undesirable va riation in the pass.

Should, however, there be any additional heat inniarted to the rolls by the passage of the sheet. thcrcthrough, the subsequent intermission will pcrniit'of sullicient reduction of the temperature by radiation. That is to say, before the nex sheet passes through, any increase of temperature will be correspondiugly reduced by the volume of lower air temperature which surrounds the rolls, so that the rolls will return to their former degree of heat, but not to a lower temperature.

For instance, rolls or say inches in diameter with a roll speed of R. 1 ill", a roll deliver} l. M. of 520 feet, a roll temperature of 200 F, delivering one foot sheet in 5 seconds, will assume a temperature of about 225 F. lVitha normal roll temperature of 200 F. and an interval betweeneach pass of 50 seconds, such time will be suficient for a reduction of such additional 25 degrees during each-such intermission. The'conditions, however, may be readily and very accurately controlled in the manner above indicated.

The advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will be obvious that the invention with atwo-high stand of may be applied to many and various constructions of rolling mills, and that it may be changed orvaried in different features or details by the skilled'mechanic, but that all such changes or variations are to be considered as within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is: i

1. Means for heating the rolls of a rolling mill consisting of a casing surrounding the rolls, and a vapor conduit leading from any source of heat and provided with branch conduits opening into the space immediately above the top and below the bottomroll between them and the casing. i

2. Means for heating the rolls of a rolling mill consisting of a casing surrounding the rolls provided with clearance openings for the pass of the rolls, and a vaporconduit leading to-the interior of the casing from any source of heat:

3. Means for heating the rolls of a rolling mill consisting of a casing surrounding the rolls provided at opposite sides with clearance openings for the article being rolled and a vapor conduit leading to the upper and lower portions of the casing from any source of heat.

4. Means for heating the rolls of a-zolling mill consisting of a casing surrounding the rplls provided at opposite'sides with clearance openings for the article being rolled, and a vapor conduit leading from any source of heat, and provided with distributing branch conduits opening into thc'space immediately above the top and below the bot tom roll between them and the casing.

.5. In combination with a stand of rolls, a continuous surrounding casing spaced away from the rolls providing an interveniughot air cavity of substantially uniform width, a conduit connected with a source of hot air or vapor, and branch conduits leading therefrom to the interior of the casing and each havinga controlling valve.

6. In combination with a stand of rolls, a surrounding casing spaced away from the rolls'providing an intervening hot air cavity, a conduit connected with a source of hot air or vapor and provided with'a controlling valve, a pump and a pyrometer gage, and a delivery conduit connected with the inmrior of the casing.

7. In combination with a stand of rolls, a

surrounding casing spaced away from the rolls providing an intervening hot air cavity, a conduit connected with a source of hot airhr vapor and psovidedwith a consignature.

' JOHN B. MGKIBBIN.

.trolling" valve, a: pump and a pyronieter 

